Prevention of road crashes in older adults: perspectives on facilitators, barriers and the role of the family doctor
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Rivera Izquierdo, Mario; Valverde Cano, Luz María; Martínez Ruiz, Virginia Ana; Sánchez Pérez, María Rosa; Atienza Martín, Francisco Javier; Martín de los Reyes, Luis Miguel; Jiménez Mejías, EladioEditorial
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Materia
Road safety Older drivers Family doctor Focus groups Qualitative research
Date
2021-11-06Referencia bibliográfica
Rivera-Izquierdo, M... [et al.]. Prevention of road crashes in older adults: perspectives on facilitators, barriers and the role of the family doctor. BMC Geriatr 21, 635 (2021). [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02569-0]
Sponsorship
SEMERGEN-UGR Chair of Teaching and Research in Family Medicine (Catedra de Docencia e Investigacion en Medicina de Familia SEMERGEN-UGR), University of Granada, SpainAbstract
Background: People over 64 years have a high fatality rate when they are involved in traffic accidents. Besides, older
victims of road crashes are expected to rise in the future due to population aging. The purpose of the study was to
document their perception on the role of the family doctor, the main facilitating factors, and the perceived barriers to
the temporary or permanent restriction of their driving.
Methods: This qualitative study used focus group methodology. A sample of 16 people over 65 years old was
obtained through a series of segmentation criteria at an active participation centre for older adults in a small town
in Jaén province (Spain). All were invited to participate in a discussion during which they were asked to express their
opinions and subjective experiences concerning the role of their family doctor. The group conversation was taped,
fully transcribed and analysed, and codes were generated with both deductive and inductive methods.
Results: After merging the codes to generate themes, we identified 9 relevant categories: perception of age-related
risk, road safety, role of public authorities, driver assessment centre, role of the family doctor, role of the family, proposals
for addressing traffic accidents in older adults, consequences of the driving prohibition, and public transport. All
categories help to explain the subjective driving and traffic safety experiences of older road users.
Conclusions: Although family doctors do not usually ask their older patients about road driving, they are highly
valued by these patients. Thus, family doctors have a great potential to act, along with the family members, for the
benefit of older patients’ traffic safety, in ways that can prevent their involvement in road crashes and reduce the
negative consequences of having to stop driving if necessary.